Fourth Down and Love

I love Ryan Paevey and it was great to see him as the romantic lead in this football centric hallmark romance. I was happy to see that even though this was a football film, that they didn't make it male centric. Ryan Paevey plays the professional NFL football star Mike. He gets injured and has to go on injured reserve for his team while he rests his broken ribs and allows them to heal. His big brother Jimmy invites him to his home to rest with family support. There Jimmy and his wife Danielle talk Mike into helping Jimmy coach his daughter's all girl flag football team. Meanwhile, there is a single mom played by When Calls The Heart's Pascale Hutton whose daughter Kiera just wants to play football and is the only girl on her flag football team where they never give her a chance. One day while sharing the field she discovers the all girl team and has her mom talk to the two coaches. We learn that the reason Jimmy started his daughter's all girls team was because his daughter Zoey experienced the same thing as Kiera the year before. And this is how Pascale's character Erin meets Mike...again. As it turns out these two were college sweethearts and Erin broke Mike's heart.

This is filled with some sports romance cliches for sure...like the money grubbing manager played by the beloved Steve Bacic, the athlete having to leave town playing havoc on a romantic relationship, etc., but the truth is I didn't care. I enjoyed it and I appreciated some of the fresh aspects...like the struggle of girls who want to play, the camaraderie between the real estate partners Erin and Georgina that played out like a real friendship, and the loving and supportive family dynamic between Jimmy's family and Mike.

I though this was one of the better stories to come out of Hallmark, who has had a rough spell in my opinion trying to be too political or working overly hard to be inclusive and loosing the authenticity...that love and family that used to be their brand and attract their core audience. I feel like this was just a feel good romance that got back to that....love and family. I recommend this to all those romantics out there, especially fans of Hallmark.

This was a cute romance movie. I like both the leads and they usually appear in the better scripts. What I didn't like is this notion that an all girls team would beat the boys team in football. I realize this is a fantasy romance movie, so the other parts can be fantasy too but it's not right to give our girls unreasonable expectations. Men are more athletic than women because of genetics and I'm not talking just about hormones. Girls can be better than boys at certain things, but football isn't one of them. Stop the nonsense you're selling our kid's, it doesn't help to set unreasonable expectations. Back to the movie (sorry had to fill up word count), anything with Ryan Pavey is worth watching, even if it's not his best. And Pasquale Hutton has 'it'. Maybe chemistry between them was a wee bit off but it's very watchable.

I admitt, the presence in cast of Ryan Paevey is just enough for me to see a movie. In this case, near him, and the decent performance of pascale Hutton, a good point is represented by humor. And, indeed, in this case the humor is real important for reduce the unrealism dose of story and not the most inspired dialogue.

The football theme works not so bad, the past love story from universitarian studies at new beginning is more than reasonable and, sure, the supporting actors are precious.

But, in same measure, the sustain of their characters , interesting at whole, by the main actors is a virtue for film. Sure, predactibility and some mistakes. But decent. And nice.

7.3 stars.

Ready, set, hike, pass the cheese... this one is a bit silly. I like the football theme and he looks like a baller with his muscles and physique, but his personality and how he handles life are not anything like an NFL receiver would be in my opinion. On the other hand, the romance is cool and they seem to have chemistry. I see patterns with Hallmark films and they seem to be stretching their legs with this film as it does expand some of the ideas in a way that I find unique and strangely stimulating.

There are several hard to ignore details like the fact that he's not mobbed by fans wherever he goes. If he's a pro, and he's back in a place where he would be recognized, he would not have any time to himself. Also the way his agent and the NFL are handling things is totally fabricated and fake beyond belief. Finally, how they were together but she let him go when they were younger so he could pursue his career has been beat to death, Hallmark, give us something original for once.

The way she is enamored with him showcases her acting ability, especially with his dry humor and acting style which seems to pervade every role he performs. All that being said, I enjoyed 'Fourth Down and Love' enough that I'd recommend it to any Hallmark fan at least once every few years.

I recently watched a movie that left me with mixed feelings, mainly due to the lead actress, Pascale Hutton, and her portrayal of the character. Here are some aspects that I found particularly disappointing:

1. **Lack of Convincing Romance**: Pascale Hutton seemed more concerned with pushing the male lead away than convincing the audience that she was in love. It's essential for a lead actress to convey genuine emotions, and this was a missed mark.

2. **Prioritizing Spouse's Feelings**: In the movie, it felt like Hutton was more focused on her spouse's feelings rather than the character and the overall film. When you audition for a role, your job is to become the character, and this detachment was apparent.

3. **Chemistry Issues**: There were instances where Ryan Peavey tried to show affection towards Hutton's character, and she didn't reciprocate. This lack of chemistry between the leads hindered the believability of their relationship.

4. **Misleading Previews**: The movie's previews built up my expectations, but unfortunately, the actual film fell short. The quality of the previews didn't reflect the overall disappointment I experienced during the movie.

5. **Missed Potential**: The film had the potential to be great, but everything seemed to fall flat. The lead female's performance made the situation worse and hindered the movie's progress.

6. **Inconsistency with Character**: Hutton's performance felt like a repetition of her role in "When Calls the Heart," which could be seen as annoying at times. This lack of differentiation between characters was a missed opportunity.

7. **Overacting**: Hutton's tendency to overact in every scene contributed to the movie's lack of credibility. It also affected Ryan Peavey's performance, making their chemistry even more unconvincing.

8. **Lack of Character Development**: Hutton's character remained the same throughout the past, present, and future, which was baffling. Her fears as a student should have made her more mature in the present day, but this character stagnation made her seem non-authentic.

In conclusion, while the movie had the potential to be a success, Pascale Hutton's performance, lack of chemistry, and character development issues hindered its overall quality. It's essential for actors to adapt to their roles and create authentic on-screen relationships, which unfortunately didn't happen here.